Nakagami fastest as Losail practice continues

Italtrans Racing Team’s Takaaki Nakagami moved ahead in Losail’s second Moto2™ practice session on Thursday evening. Joining him in the top three were Tuenti HP 40 pairing Esteve Rabat and Pol Espargaró, with the latter having topped the opening period.

As the Losail International Circuit and Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar prepared to welcome the MotoGP™ fraternity for a tenth time, much of Thursday involved clearing the track which had become covered in a smooth film of sand.

After Espargaró – a general title favourite – topped the first session, the later period kicked off in dramatic fashion as NGM Mobile Racing’s Mattia Pasini and Argiñano & Gines Racing’s Steven Odendaal came to blows, with the Italian attempting an ambitious passing maneuver on the South African as both riders went down. Although the latter found himself briefly underneath his machine, both men escaped unharmed.

Nakagami’s best effort came in the shape of 2’00.924, making him the only rider to duck inside the 2’01.000 barrier tonight. Rabat – who led for much of the session – was less than a tenth slower, with Espargaró having made a mistake on his final run. Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding continuously challenged for top times, but was losing ground on the start/finish straight; he was fourth from the second Italtrans of Julián Simón and NGM Mobile Racing’s Simone Corsi.

The top ten was rounded out by Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter, Marc VDS’ Mika Kallio, NGM’s Alex de Angelis and Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2’s Nico Terol. Technomag’s Randy Krummenacher ended his night in 16th place, but was anther to suffer a fall as he lost control at penultimate corner Turn 15.

Moto2™ will be back on-track on Friday, as the third and final free practice session commences at 7:55pm local time (GMT +3).